​At Seaboard Foods, we raise pigs to feed families, and we are committed to making sure they're cared for humanely. A comprehensive animal care program, developed and overseen by our team of veterinarians and carried out by our barn employees, helps keep our pigs as healthy and comfortable as possible. Our ultimate goal? Producing safe, nutritious, quality pork for you and your customers. And because we own the sows, the pigs, the facilities where we make our feed from local grains, the barns where we raise the pigs and the plants where our pork is made, we – and you – can be certain our animals have been raised and cared for the best way we know how.

​Veterinary Oversight

Our team of veterinarians guides all of our decisions on the care of our pigs, and helps us continuously identify and implement improvements, like adopting needle-free vaccination in 2006. They collaborate with nutritionists on customized nutrition plans for every stage in our animals' development. They advise and oversee our disease-control efforts, diagnose illness and supervise targeted treatment of our herds, as well as oversee routine procedures. And they ensure our barns are designed and maintained for optimal comfort and well-being.

​Herd Health & Biosecurity

At Seaboard Foods, we have detailed herd health plans that are created by a team of veterinarians and nutritionists to ensure healthy pigs, as healthy pigs lead to safe food. These health plans allow our barn employees to better care for our herds and prevent disease, and include:

Customized nutrition. We have developed 14 proprietary grain-based rations, as well as specially formulated vitamin packs, that help to support pig health and optimize the color, consistency, tenderness and flavor of our pork.

Our breeding farms, farrowing barns, nurseries and finishing barns are all spread apart to help prevent disease and protect the environment.

We have a dedicated team of trained barn employees and managers who walk each of our barns throughout the day to ensure our pigs are comfortable and healthy.

Our uncompromising biosecurity protocols, including multi-site barns, customized nutrition and the requirement for all employees and visitors to shower in and out, protect our pigs from disease transmission and help us eliminate the need for widespread antibiotic use.

​Animal Welfare Monitoring

We maintain an animal handling program built around hands-on monitoring from our trained team, as well as from third-parties, to ensure the proper care for our animals and safe, quality pork for you. At Seaboard Foods, we enforce a zero-tolerance policy and adhere to standards set by the American Meat Institute, National Pork Board and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which means you can be assured we produce quality pork the best way we know how.

CO2 stunning practices to reduce PSE

​Animal Care Training

At Seaboard Foods, we think the best food systems start with people being connected and knowing why they do what they do. Therefore, we have a variety of ongoing training for our employees, and every year we train all barn employees on humane animal care. This training instills the right mindset and skill for safe and humane practices in our barns and plants, and provides detailed information about how to properly care for our pigs to ensure their well-being and safeguard their health, as healthy animals lead to safe food. In addition, all employees working on our farms are required to have PQA Plus certification.